Birmingham Undergraduate Internship Programme

Applications are now closed. Please check back in January for summer internships in 2017.

The Birmingham Undergraduate Internship Programme (BUIP) offers unique internships within the University of Birmingham during the summer vacation. The internships provide an opportunity to learn more about Higher Education as a career choice and undertake a wide range of exciting paid internship opportunities within departments across the University.

Internships are open to undergraduate students from the University of Birmingham in their first, second or penultimate year of study.

BUIP internships offer students the chance to develop their employability skills in areas such as written and verbal communication, problem solving, project management, meeting deadlines, prioritisation, data analysis and research, and using IT professionally. Students gain direct experience by undertaking real life projects. The programme also offers a unique tailored training programme to help interns analyse and demonstrate these skills to future employers. This includes training in areas such as professional etiquette, CVs, interview techniques and presentation skills.

Read about what type of projects previous BUIP interns have been involved in through our intern blog.

The details

The internships take place over the summer vacation period and can last from 4-12 weeks. All internships are fully paid above minimum wage and are based at the university (perfect if you have accommodation nearby over the summer). A variety of internships are offered, and previous successful interns have come from a range of degree backgrounds.

How to apply

BUIP is now closed. Please check back in January for summer internships in 2017. see below for a list of the internships that were available in summer 2016.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Only students within their first, second or penultimate year of undergraduate study are eligible to apply for a BUIP internship. Postgraduate, final year undergraduate students and students on a leave of absence from the University are not eligible for the programme.

What previous BUIP interns thought

"BUIP is a unique opportunity to make connections and has shown me a host of new options in higher education and in Birmingham."

"I would highly recommend the Birmingham Undergraduate Internship Programme to others in the future."

“From working with the Careers Network staff I gained a better insight into the not-for-profit sector and how best to enter a career in such fields. I also learnt how to seek out hidden opportunities with organisations by using social media websites such as LinkedIn to speak directly to employers in a professional environment. Additionally the skills I developed during my time as a BUIP intern such as the ability to write executive reports, accurate data collection and other administrative skills are listed on many of the job descriptions for roles within NGOs which I have been researching. This internship has pushed me a big step closer to gaining the career I want and I am very grateful that such an opportunity was available to me”

“I feel that the internship gave me a lot of skills that other interns may not have had due to the amount of responsibility I was given. It gives me a lot to talk about and I can use these transferrable skills for any job I apply to”

“…the amount of freedom I was given by my supervisor and the rest of the team [was the best part of my internship]. I wasn't treated like an intern, but more like an actual team member which was really appreciated. I was able to come up with my own ideas and implement them, rather than being spoon-fed tasks”

"The high level of responsibility and independence I was given [was the best part of my BUIP internship]. It felt like a genuine experience of a career on this sector. A huge step from my previous work experience."

Winners of Best University Placement Careers Services at the National Placement and Internships Awards 2013.